The Indian Coast Guard and the Indian Navy successfully rescued all 18 crewmembers of a fishing vessel after it caught fire while in the Arabian Sea off the coast of the western Indian state of Maharashtra on Friday, February 28, local news outlet Jagran reports.
The incident occurred at around 03:00 local time on Friday as the unnamed boat was some six nautical miles off Alibaug in Maharashtra's Raigad district.
The Indian Coast Guard patrol vessel ICGS Savitribai Phule was patrolling the waters off Mumbai when it was ordered to divert and render assistance to the crew of the burning fishing boat.
The coast guard personnel, with the assistance of the navy, brought all 18 fishermen aboard Savitribai Phule while simultaneously attempting to extinguish the blaze using a water monitor.
No injuries have been reported among the rescued fishermen, who were all later transferred to another boat and then brought ashore to undergo medical assessments.
Authorities are still investigating the probable cause of the fire, which had spread rapidly through the vessel before the crew could properly react.